Notes from this week's podcast: You Have Been Given A Gift

Thursday is the National Day of Prayer and it is a sacred day and it's a day that has been set apart for all the people of the nation, particularly Christians to lift our voices together before the throne of God. 

Before that day arrives, let's prepare our hearts. It's so much more than another date. It's a gift, privilege, responsibility, a calling. 

In 1775, the Continental Congress opened their meeting with prayer. They understood that we cannot afford to forget one central thought: a nation cannot stand on its own wisdom, on the wisdom of man. It needed more. It was up to the people of the nation to pray. 

"It's impossible to rightly govern the world without God and your Bible." (attributed to George Washington)

The freedoms that you and I enjoy today -- to open our Bible, to walk the streets and pray aloud to gather in our churches, to declare the name of Jesus -- were prayed into being by men and women who refused to let go of God. Today, we refuse to let go of God. 

In 1952, Harry Truman signed into law a joint resolution declaring an annual National Day of Prayer. President Ronald Reagan, in 1988, amended that law and designated the first Thursday of May of every year the nation would pause and pray. That is a gift to us as a nation, handed down to us from our leaders who knew that, without God, we're nothing. A gift this precious was never meant to sit unopened. 

In the legal world, a gift is valid when: (1) it is intended to be given; (2) it must be delivered; (3) the person who received it must accept it. 

God, through the prayers of our Founding Fathers and following leaders, intended this to be a gift. They delivered it; they wrote down the law. Here's the question: Have we accepted the gift? Have we acted on it? We must take hold of it. We don't do it passively or casually. 

How we respond to the National Day of Prayer will be our answer. What kind of grip do we have on this gift?

This year's theme verse is 1 Chronicles 16:24. King David has brought the ark of the covenant (the presence of God) back to Jerusalem. In the midst of his joy is his song of thanksgiving. This is not a whisper. This is not a private affair. This is public. This is a generational declaration of who God is among the nations, among all the peoples. 

David was showing us that when God's people gather around God's presence that a natural overflow is to proclaim God. We lift our voices together. It is the people of God in this nation telling of God's glory -- openly and boldly. 

What do we proclaim? We proclaim the Word of God. 

When we pray scripture aloud, do you know what we're doing? We're putting the voice of God into our mouths and we are agreeing with heaven. We are speaking what God has already said. And, you know what the enemy does? He has no answer for the Word of God. 

Will we do the same (as Jesus did)? 

How will you take hold of this gift? How do you do it practically? First, with your family and your home. Gather around your table, open your Bible and read 1 Chronicles 16:24. Pray for our leaders, no matter if we voted for them or not. 

The gift has been given to us -- the freedom to pray, the freedom to gather publicly to pray, the freedom to open our Bibles wherever we go. It was paid for by those who have gone before us. 

We will stand before God. He's not going to ask us what the culture says or what was popular. He's going to ask: What did you do with what I gave you? Did you use it? Did you pass it on?

We are praying for a nation that our grandchildren will inherit that will honor the name of the Lord.

In our moment, will we be faithful?

On the National Day of Prayer, pause and pray the Word of God aloud. Tell of His glory among the nations. 

[Jo's prayer]

Share this gift. Take it to someone, your prayer group, your pastor. Put it on social media. Make sure no one misses this gift. 

You were created to be God's vessel. Move into action to share this gift -- that God will hear masses of people calling on His name. Our prayers will tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. 

Scripture for further meditation: Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 55:11, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 33:12, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Joshua 24:15